Xing and LinkedIn are two of the most popular professional social networking sites used for career and business purposes. Both platforms allow users to create professional profiles, connect with other professionals, find jobs, network, and more. However, there are some key differences between Xing and LinkedIn in terms of features, user base, and geographic focus.
What is Xing?
Xing (pronounced “zee-ing”) is a professional networking site based in Hamburg, Germany that was founded in 2003. The name Xing comes from the Chinese word “xing” meaning “stars” or “crossroads.” As of 2022, Xing had over 20 million members, primarily based in German-speaking countries across Europe. It is the largest professional networking site in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
Some key features of Xing include:
- Professional profile – Users can create a profile highlighting their work experience, education, skills, accomplishments.
- Connections – Users can connect with other professionals on the platform.
- Job board – Xing has an integrated job board where users can search for jobs and employers can post openings.
- Groups – Users can join professional groups based on industry, interests, region, etc.
- Events – Xing provides an events listing where users can find relevant professional events.
- News and articles – Users can consume content related to career and business topics.
Overall, Xing aims to help professionals network, find jobs, stay up-to-date on industry trends, find business partners, and advance their careers. The platform is tailored for German-speaking professionals and has a strong presence across DACH region (Germany, Austria and Switzerland).
What is LinkedIn?
LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional networking platform, founded in 2002 and headquartered in California. As of 2022, LinkedIn reports having over 875 million members in more than 200 countries around the world. Some key features of LinkedIn include:
- Professional profiles – Like Xing, users can create professional profiles to showcase their background and experiences.
- Connections – Users connect with other professionals and build out their network.
- Job board – LinkedIn has an extensive job board with listings from companies around the world.
- Groups – Users can join industry, interest or regional professional groups.
- Content and news – Users can publish professional content and stay updated on news and trends.
- Messaging – Users can message connections directly via InMail.
- Learning – LinkedIn Learning provides online courses for professional development.
With its global reach, LinkedIn aims to connect all professionals worldwide, helping them network, find jobs, share knowledge, and advance their careers. It is the most widely used professional networking site, especially in English-speaking countries.
Key Differences
While Xing and LinkedIn have some similar features, there are some key differences between the two platforms:
Category | ||
---|---|---|
User base | ~20 million users primarily in German-speaking countries | Over 875 million users worldwide |
Primary languages | German, English | English and 24 other languages |
Geographic focus | Strong presence in Germany, Austria, Switzerland (DACH region) | Used globally, especially across North America and English-speaking countries |
Employer profiles | Over 500,000 corporate profiles | Over 70 million company pages |
Job listings | Over 2 million job ads | Millions of job postings worldwide |
In summary, while the two platforms have similar functionality, Xing is focused on German-speaking professionals especially in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. LinkedIn has a much broader global reach and adoptions, though it may not be as commonly used in the DACH region compared to Xing.
Features and Tools Comparison
Here is an in-depth look at some of the key features and tools on Xing vs. LinkedIn:
Profiles
Both platforms allow you to create a professional profile highlighting your background, skills, experiences and accomplishments. However, there are some profile differences:
Xing Profiles | LinkedIn Profiles |
---|---|
– Focus is on current role, skills and experiences tailored to German job market | – More detailed profiles with sections like About, Experience, Education, Skills, Accomplishments, Recommendations |
– Profile strength indicated by circles indicating completeness | – Profile completeness indicated via progress bar percentage |
– Support for profile in German and English | – Support for a variety of languages |
LinkedIn provides more customizable sections, but Xing offers a simpler profile that may load faster.
Connections and Networking
Both Xing and LinkedIn allow you to connect with other professionals to build out your network. Key differences include:
Xing Connections | LinkedIn Connections |
---|---|
– Main networking feature is contacts | – Connections, 2nd degree connections, and group memberships |
– Ability to mark key contacts as important | – No favoriting feature for connections |
– Less emphasis on growing connections count | – Many users aim to build large network of 500+ connections |
LinkedIn places more focus on constantly growing your network, while Xing focuses on quality contacts.
Groups
Groups on both platforms allow members to discuss topics, share content and find connections. Differences include:
Xing Groups | LinkedIn Groups |
---|---|
– Less structured format and smaller group sizes | – Often larger groups with hundreds/thousands of members |
– Group posts appear in activity feeds | – Separate group feed from main activity feed |
– Can list group memberships on profile | – No ability to showcase groups on profile |
Xing groups tend to be smaller and more casual, while LinkedIn groups are often larger communities.
Job Postings
Both platforms offer integrated job boards, but with some key differences:
Xing Jobs | LinkedIn Jobs |
---|---|
– Caters to German-speaking job market | – Global job board |
– Millions of German-language listings | – Tens of millions of English-language listings |
– Can signal openness to new roles on profile | – No ability to signal open to work on profile |
– Apply with one click features | – More detailed applications required |
Xing Jobs makes applying for German roles easy, while LinkedIn has more global reach but longer application process.
Content and Updates
Staying updated via news and content is a key feature. Some differences:
Xing Content | LinkedIn Content |
---|---|
– News and articles focus on German-speaking job market | – More global business and career-related news |
– Shorter form updates and articles | – LinkedIn Publishing for long-form posts |
– Activity feeds with updates on contacts | – Separate feed for articles and news |
Both platforms aim to keep users informed but Xing’s content caters more directly to German professionals.
Premium Plans
Xing and LinkedIn both offer paid premium plans that provide additional features. Key differences in the premium plans include:
Xing Premium | LinkedIn Premium |
---|---|
– Different tiered plans based on features | – One premium plan with all features |
– Feature focus on networking and jobs | – More features for content, insights and learning |
– Cheaper pricing around €10-€20 monthly | – More expensive around €30+ monthly |
Xing Premium provides better value for German-focused networking and job seeking, while LinkedIn Premium offers more features but is pricier.
User Interface and Experience
Xing and LinkedIn also have some differences when it comes to user interface and overall user experience.
Xing Interface
- Clean, minimalist interface design
- Simplified navbar and menus
- Focused mainly on 1 or 2 key tasks like networking or job seeking
- More white space and fewer distractions on pages
- Mobile app provides core features but limited functionality
LinkedIn Interface
- Busier pages with more content and links
- More complex sidebar navigation menu
- Tries to be a one-stop shop professional platform
- Mobile app is fully-featured
Xing offers a more streamlined experience, while LinkedIn provides richer features but can feel cluttered.
Popularity and User Base
In terms of size of user base, LinkedIn is significantly larger and more widely adopted worldwide. Some key user statistics:
Xing Membership and Users
- Over 20 million members as of 2022
- Primary countries are Germany, Austria and Switzerland
- Over 80% of users are in German-speaking countries
- 5 million monthly active users
- Typical members are white-collar professionals
LinkedIn Membership and Users
- Over 875 million members worldwide as of 2022
- Present across more than 200 countries globally
- 150+ million members in Europe region
- Largest audiences in the US, India, Brazil
- 82% of users are outside the US
LinkedIn is the dominant global professional networking platform, while Xing caters well to German-speaking professionals in DACH region.
Use Cases and When to Use Each Platform
Based on their features and target user base, here are some guidelines on when each platform may be preferable to use:
When to use Xing
- If you are a professional based in Germany, Austria or Switzerland
- If you are looking for a job based in German-speaking countries
- If you want to network with other German-speaking professionals
- If you want to join local professional groups and events
- If you want to read content focused on German job market
When to use LinkedIn
- If you are looking to network with professionals globally
- If you want access to a broad international job board
- If you are interested in global business news and professional content
- If you want to establish yourself as an industry thought leader
- If you want access to online learning courses
In general, focus on Xing for a German professional audience and LinkedIn for global outreach.
Can You Use Both Xing and LinkedIn?
It is absolutely possible to use both Xing and LinkedIn as part of your professional networking strategy:
- Maintain Xing for networking and job seeking specifically in German-speaking job market
- Use LinkedIn to network and access opportunities globally
- Ensure profiles are tailored appropriately for each platform
- Avoid duplicating same content across both sites
- Add custom URLs to link the accounts together
Using both allows you to tap into the unique advantages and audiences of each platform based on your professional needs and focus.
Conclusion
Xing and LinkedIn share some similarities as professional networking platforms, but have key differences when it comes to features, user base and geographic scope.
Xing is focused on providing a streamlined networking and job seeking platform tailored specifically to German-speaking professionals, especially in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. LinkedIn has a much broader global reach and provides richer features, content and tools for professionals worldwide.
Professionals based in the DACH region may find more relevant connections and opportunities on Xing, while LinkedIn can enable global networking and outreach. Using both platforms together can be advantageous to tap into the unique benefits of each.